


The Traveler's Tale

by pride_frog



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Varian and the Seven Kingdoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:42:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pride_frog/pseuds/pride_frog
Summary: This is just an au where Varian escapes at the end of Secret of the Sundrop instead of being thrown into jail. This chapter is pretty much just the battle, but the end is important. Anyways, enjoy!
Relationships: Hugo & Rapunzel (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an au where Varian escapes at the end of Secret of the Sundrop instead of being thrown into jail. This chapter is pretty much just the battle, but the end is important. Anyways, enjoy!

“Varian, please, think about what you’re doing.”  
“Oh, I’ve thought about it plenty. I tried asking for help on a civil manner, but I’m afraid that this is my only remaining recourse.”  
“Please, just let me go. We can fix this. But this isn’t the way.”  
“Isn’t it, Your Majesty?” Varian spat. “I begged for help. Nobody cared. Rapunzel said she had to take care of Corona during the storm, but where was she afterwards? Up in the palace. Where was she in the months after the storm? The months I spent wasting away in this very lab, trying to fix my mistakes?” Arianna was silent, staring up at him.  
“Up in the palace, with you. She forgot about me. This is the only way to make her listen.”  
———  
Varian snuck out of a trapdoor as the family that had caused him so much pain sat in his lab, hugging. They didn’t notice when he left.  
Rapunzel hadn’t released his father. She hadn’t done anything in the past six months except for hurt him.  
And she was going to pay.  
He burst through the floor in a giant automaton, interrupting the family reunion.  
“Sorry, princess, we were in this together. But if I can’t have a happy ending, then neither can you!” He slammed the automaton’s fists down where the family was, but they got up and ran through the door. He followed them, smashing through the wall as he did so. Cass charged towards him, sword raised. He caught her in one of the automaton’s hands, trapping her.  
“Hello, Cassandra. I always knew I could sweep you off your feet!”  
“Let her go, Varian!” Arianna shouted. He turned to her, scooping her up in the automaton’s other hand. A pan hit the automaton’s window, startling him.  
“That’s enough, Varian,” Rapunzel said, stalking towards him.  
“It’s not enough until you endure the same amour of pain and agony I have.” The two woman screamed out in pain as they were squeezed in the automaton’s metal hands.  
Suddenly, lined of black rocks popped out of the ground, rushing to Rapunzel and trapping her in a small cave of them. There was a burst of light, and all of the rocks sank back except for a few, which impaled a few of the automatons. Two rocks appeared on either side of Rapunzel, and she grabbed them. Another burst of light, and Varian was thrown back. The woman’s hair was floating around her, glowing. Varian got up, rushing back to the automaton’s controls and charging towards her. A rock tore off each limb as he made his way over to her, the last being impaled only a foot away from her face. Another one shot through the body of the automaton, rendering it useless.  
“No!” Varian shouted. He pulled at the controls, but nothing worked.  
A path of rocks made their way from Rapunzel to the wall surrounding Corona, breaking through it. She let go of the rocks at her sides and collapsed. Eugene ran over to her, catching her in his arms. Varian looked around, noticing the guards starting to eye him wearily, as well as a few slowly walking towards him. He hopped out of the automaton and sprinted to his lab, where he climbed into the trapdoor and waited in the tunnel until silence had surrounded him for hours. He wiped a few tears from his face as he was met with the sight of his father, knowing that there was nothing more he could do. He looked out of the smash wall he had made, out to the opening in the Corona Wall. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he walked around his lab, collecting everything he might need. Once he was packed, he found Ruddiger, who was hiding under one of the tabled in his lab.  
“Ruddiger, come on. We’re leaving, buddy.” The raccoon tilted his head, looking confused. Varian hung his head and sighed. “We’re leaving Corona. I kidnapped the queen, tried to kill her and the princess’ best friend. I committed treason, and drugged the entire castle. They’re going to be looking for me soon. We need to leave Corona.” Ruddiger crawled out from under the table, climbing to sit of Varian’s shoulders.  
The man walked up to his father, putting his hand on the amber that imprisoned him.  
“I’ll be back, dad. I’ll find a way to fix this. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get you free.”  
He paused as he reached the Wall of Corona, then took a deep breath and walked through.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took much longer to write than I thought it would. It is a very long chapter though, so I hope that makes up for it. Enjoy!

Hugo was running. Of course he was. He had just stolen an heirloom from one of the most important families in the entire kingdom. Donella tended to give him a lot of dangerous jobs, mostly because she knew he’d come back. This time, however, he wasn’t so sure. There was a nasty gash on his shoulder that he had gotten during his escape. Stealing from a guarded home in the middle of a celebration probably wasn’t the best idea, but it was his only option.   
He tripped over a tree root, getting up as quickly as he could. He continued running through the trees, hoping the he’d find somewhere good to hide, quickly. He was getting lightheaded from the amount of blood he was losing, but he could hear the guards chasing him and didn’t dare slow down. He looked to his left, where there was a cave that sunk into the ground. Turning sharply, he slid into it and hid himself behind a small pile of leaves as quickly as he could. He sat and listened as the guards ran past him, acutely aware of the blood running down his arm with each passing second.   
After a few minutes, he drug himself out of the hole and sat against a tree. Just as he was about to rip off one of his sleeves to tie around his shoulder, he heard a voice behind him.  
“Oh my god,” it said. Hugo froze, staring as a boy kneeled down in front of him, looking at his shoulder. “Do- Do you want help with that?” He asked.   
“No, it’s fine.”  
“Are you sure? That cut looks pretty bad.” He looked at Hugo’s face for a moment, then added, “And it looks like you’re about to pass out.” Hugo hesitated, wondering if he could really trust this stranger. There was a chitter at his side, and a raccoon wormed its way under his uninjured arm, staring up at the blonde. Hugo stared back at it, then looked up at the stranger.  
“Don’t worry, he’s with me,” the boy said. He moved a little loser to Hugo, pulling something out of his bag.  
“Do you want help with your shoulder?”  
“Yeah,” Hugo said weakly. The stranger started working on his shoulder before starting to speak.  
“What’s your name?” He asked.  
“Hugo. You?”  
“Varian. The raccoon’s Ruddiger.” Ruddiger chittered happily as Hugo started petting him. Varian finished up, leaning back as he studied his handiwork. “Be careful until your shoulder heals. You don’t want to make it worse.” Hugo nodded.   
“Wait,” He said. Varian paused, turning to look at him. Hugo got up before speaking again. “Where are you going?”  
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I just know where I’m leaving.”  
“Which is where?”   
“Corona.”   
“Ah. Well, I’m heading to the Iron Kingdom, if you want to join me. It’s pretty far from Corona.” Varian paused for a moment, biting his lip as he thought.   
“Yeah. I’ll join you.”   
“Cool. Let’s get going.”  
“Shouldn’t you rest a little longer? You lost a lot of blood.” Hugo looked down at his shoulder, then up at Varian.   
“Probably.”   
“Then we should set up camp here and start walking tomorrow.”   
———  
Varian couldn’t sleep. The memories of his father were too fresh, and he knew that if he slept, he would have a nightmare. He’d been having nightmares for months. So, instead of sleeping, he told Hugo he’d stay awake and keep watch over the campsite.   
He was sitting on the ground by the long-dead fire, hugging his knees. A tear slid down his face as he stared into the trees, which he quickly wiped away. He felt a few raindrops fall onto his head, but he didn’t move. The rain started getting heavier until it was pouring. He leaned his head back, letting the water fall onto his face.   
“Hairstripe?” Varian turned around, seeing Hugo poke his head out of their tent. “Come on in, it’s raining really hard.” Varian nodded, crawling into the tent with the blonde. He laid down on his bed as Hugo returned to his side of the tent.   
“Are you alright?” Hugo asked.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”   
“I’m not convinced.” Varian raised an eyebrow. “You look to be around my age, you’re running away from Corona with a raccoon, and you look exhausted. I’m not buying your whole ‘oh, don’t worry about me, I’m fine’ act.”  
“Hey, you don’t know what’s happening in my life. I don’t have to tell you anything.”  
“True. But you also don’t need to lie to me.” Varian blinked at the other man and rolled over so he was facing the side of their tent. Hugo sighed as the downpour outside continued.  
———  
The trees and grass were still wet from the rainstorm in the morning. Despite how late he stayed up, Varian got up a little past dawn to walk around and try to find dry wood they could use for a fire. When he found none, he returned to the campsite and found Hugo leaning against a tree, holding Ruddiger. It was a little awkward with his sling, but he managed. Everything was packed and Varian’s bag was sitting on a tree stump.   
“Hey,” Hugo said as he saw him returning. “I got everything packed. I would cary the bag, but you know.” He lifted up his injured shoulder ever so slightly. Varian nodded.  
“Thanks.” He picked up the bag and walked over to Hugo to pet Ruddiger. The raccoon looked up at him and chittered, then snuggled a little deeper into Hugo’s arms.   
“He must really like you.”  
“Why do you say that?”  
“He usually dosen't let people hold him for very long. He’ll probably sit on your shoulders once you heal.” Hugo looked down at the creature in his arms and couldn’t help but smile. Varian slung his bag over his shoulder. Looking up, he realized that Hugo was already carrying his bag on his good shoulder. He set down Ruddiger, who looked a little offended, but climbed up onto Varian’s shoulders. He reached up to pet the raccoon, who nuzzled into the touch.   
“You ready to go?” Hugo asked.   
“Yeah.” They started walking and were out of the woods in less than an hour.   
“There’s a town a few miles from here,” Hugo said. “We should stop there and make sure we have everything we need.”  
“Sounds like a plan,” Varian replied. Hugo looked over at him. He wondered what had made him leave Corona, and if it was why Varian seemed so stressed.   
“So, how long have you been traveling, Hairstripe?”  
“About two weeks. And my name’s Varian, not Hairstripe.”   
“I know your name,” The blonde responded.  
“So then why don’t you use it?” Varian asked, raising an eyebrow. Hugo shrugged.  
“I like giving people nicknames.” Varian squinted at him for a moment before turning back to the path they were on.  
“You’re weird.”  
“Says the kid with the pet raccoon.” Ruddiger chittered in offense from his perch on Varian’s shoulders.  
“Hey, at least I’ve never been stabbed in the shoulder.” Hugo looked down at him, and the shorter alchemist stared back.  
“Fair point,” Hugo said. “But that has nothing to do with your pet raccoon.”  
“Yeah, I know. But I highly doubt that you have a pet, let alone one I could make fun of.” Hugo thought of the little mechanical mouse in his pocket. She didn’t count, right? She was mechanical. Animals could only be pets if they were living, breathing creatures.  
“True. I don’t.”  
“Than I’ll have to make fun of your idiocy. How did you get stabbed, anyways?” Hugo shrugged.  
“Oh, you know, however people usually get stabbed in the shoulder.” Varian laughed.  
“Which is how? A bar fight?”  
“No, just a normal fight.” The shorter boy shook his head with an overdramatic sigh.  
“How’d it start?” Hugo looked to his right, away from the other man as he remembered the guard that caught him and hit him in the shoulder with his sword.   
“Don’t remember,” He lied. “Probably started cause of something stupid.”  
“Let me guess, you were the one being stupid?” Varian asked, raising an eyebrow. Hugo let out an overdramatic gasp.  
“Me? Starting a fight over something stupid? Never.”   
“Yeah, I’m sure you always have a good reason to start fights,” Varian said with a laugh.   
“I don’t start fights,” Hugo grumbled, crossing his arms.  
“Sure.”   
“I don’t!”  
“If you didn’t, then why are you getting so offended?” Hugo glared down at Varian.   
“Ok, fine, yes. I’ve started fights over stupid things before, and yes, this fight was technically my fault, but does that really matter?”  
“I thought that you didn’t remember how the fight started?”   
“Can we change the subject?”  
“Alright, then. What do you want to talk about?”  
“Why are you leaving Corona?” Hugo asked after a short pause. “I’ve heard that it’s a pretty nice place to live, so why are you trying to get as far away as possible?” Varian paused for a moment, images of his father in the amber and the battle that had happened just a few weeks ago flashing in his mind. He shoved the memories out of his head and shrugged.  
“There was nothing left for me there. I might go back someday, but… I don’t know.” Hugo looked down at him, realizing how tense he looked. Ruddiger patted his cheek, and Varian gave the raccoon a small smile, reaching up to scratch one of his ears.   
“Sorry I asked. You don’t- You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Varian nodded.   
They walked in silence for a while, and then Hugo spoke up.  
“The town should be just over this hill.” He looked over at Varian, who didn’t respond. He was holding Ruddiger and staring straight ahead. His eyes were unfocused, as if he was zoning out.  
“Goggles? You good?” He waved a hand in front of Varian’s face. He blinked a few times before looking up at the blonde.  
“Yeah?”   
“You good?”   
“Mm-hmm.” Hugo furrowed his brow, then looked back at where he was walking.   
“We’re almost at the town,” He said.  
“Ok.”  
———  
They found an inn, where Varian paid for a room for them. They decided to rest for a while before going out to look for food. While they were resting, Varian helped Hugo change the bandage on his shoulder, as he had gotten it dirty on the way to the town.   
“Would you quit flinching?”  
“Hey, this hurts, ok?” Varian sighed.  
“Yeah, I know, but it’s your fault that you got hurt in the first place.”   
When he was done, Varian tossed the dirty bandage to Hugo, who threw them into a trashcan in the corner of their room. Varian flopped down on the bad and splayed his limbs out, covering most of the mattress.  
“If you’re going to take a nap, move to your bed. I’m tired.”  
“Ruddiger stole the pillow.” Sure enough, when the blonde looked over, the raccoon was laying on the pillow, fast asleep.  
“Then move him.”  
“He’ll get mad at me.” Hugo raised an eyebrow.  
“For… moving him?”  
“Yes. If you move Ruddiger when he’s sleeping, he’ll take that personally and he only accepts apologies in apples. Which we don’t have.”   
“If I move him, will you move to your bed?” Varian lifted his head to look at the blonde, who was till sitting at the foot of the bed.  
“Fine,” He grumbled, putting his head back down. Hugo got up, then picked up Ruddiger. The raccoon glared at the blonde sleepily, letting out a small squeak as he was half dropped onto Varian’s chest.  
“Hey, be nicer to him.”   
“Fine. Now will you please move?” Varian got up, keeping Ruddiger close to his chest as he walked over to his bed and laid down.   
He ended up falling asleep, but was gently shaken awake by Hugo a few hours later.   
“Hey, Hairstripe.”  
“Mmm?”   
“It’s almost dinner time. We should go get food soon.” Varian nodded and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of them. He got up, startling Ruddiger, who had been draped across his legs. Hugo walked over to the door and held it open for Varian. Ruddiger ran after them and climbed onto Varian’s shoulders.   
“First thing we should get is apples, right? For your oversized rat?”  
“Ruddiger is not an oversized rat. But yes, we should get him a few apples.” Hugo looked over at the raccoon, who was still glaring at him.   
———  
After they ate and got Ruddiger his apples, they headed back to their room. It was a little past sunset by then, and they would both be lying if they said they weren’t exhausted. As a result, they fell into their beds, falling asleep almost immediatly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally planning on making this a slow burn, but the gayness was begging to be written.  
> Also, sorry for the weird pacing. This chapter is a bit of a mess because I didn't plan it out beforehand. Anyways, enjoy!

Hugo awoke to Ruddiger pawing him in the face. He looked worried, and kept looking over at Varian’s bad.  
“What do you want?” Hugo grumbled. Ruddiger put a paw on his cheek and turned his head.  
Varian was thrashing around in his bed, eyes screwed shut and tears streaming down his face.  
“No- I didn’t- I’m sorry,” He choked out. “Dad- I don’t know-“ Hugo got up and made his way over the the younger boy. He hesitated for a moment before shaking him awake. Varian’s eyes flew open and darted around the room as he shot up. He wrapped his arms around himself and started rocking back and forth. Ruddiger sat next to him and looked up at Hugo.  
“Hey. Are- are you ok?” He whispered, unsure of what to do. Varian choked out a laugh.  
“Do I look ok to you?”  
“Not really.” Varian pushed the hair out of his face and looked up at the blonde.  
“Then why would you ask?”  
“Cause I don’t really know how to deal with anxiety attacks,” Hugo responded hesitantly. “Do you want a hug?” Varian shook his head before going back to rocking himself. Ruddiger set a paw on his leg, and Varian nodded. He took a shaky breath as the raccoon crawled onto his lap and sat down, looking up at him.  
“You can go back to bed. Sorry for waking you up.”  
“It’s alright.” He looked at his bed, then back at Varian. “Are you sure you don’t want a hug, or to… I dunno, talk about it? I know that we haven’t known each other for that long, but I’m here if you do.” Varian nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes.  
“Actually… a hug would be nice.” Hugo sat down next to Varian and wrapped his arm around him. He felt the other boy stiffen for a moment before melting into the touch. He hugged back, starting to cry again. Ruddiger crawled off his lap and instead watched as Hugo pulled the other onto his lap and started rocking him. Varian continued to sob into his shoulder, and Hugo started rubbing circles into his back.  
Eventually, Varian stopped crying again, but stayed seated in Hugo’s lap.  
“This is the first hug I’ve had in months,” he whispered. “I needed this. Thanks.”  
“Of course. And if you ever need a hug, I’ll give you one.” Varian nodded.  
“Thank you.”  
———  
When Hugo woke up in the morning, they were still in each others arms. Varian had asked him to stay, saying that he knew he’d feel safer if he went to sleep with Hugo closer to him. He had said that the blonde could move back to his bed after he fell asleep, but Hugo didn’t. After all, Varian was cute and sarcastic and funny. He knew that he falling for him would just hurt him. After all, he was going to be starting another mission for Donella in another month or so.  
Hugo looked down at the boy in his arms, who was still sleeping soundly. He slid out of his grip, moving to get dressed. As he pulled on his boots, he looked up and saw Varian watching him. He winked, and the younger boy looked away quickly, a light blush covering his cheeks.  
They were walking away from the town before noon. They had gotten enough food to last about a week, which was just long enough for then to get to the next town. Since they weren’t in any specific kingdom quite yet, the towns were few and far between. There were surprisingly few people who wanted to live outside of a kingdoms borders, only having to worry about what was going on in their town.  
———  
One month later, Hugo was laying on the ground, staring up at the stars. Varian was in their tent, fast asleep. He was thinking about what he would do when they reached his home. About how he would explain Varian to Donella. He was supposed to come back with the necklace that was hidden away in his bag. He was certainly not supposed to come back with another person. Hugo sighed and ran his hands down his face. He sat up and started walking towards the tent, pausing as he heard footsteps coming his way. They stopped, and he turned around.  
Standing behind him was a woman. Her dark hair was cut into a bob that ended just a few inches above her shoulders. She wore a red turtleneck under an oversized grey shirt. The belt wrapped around her waist held a dagger that was tucked into it. She also wore dark pants and a pair of boots.  
She had paused when she saw him. Hugo heard a quiet shuffling in the tent as Ruddiger scampered out and climbed onto his shoulder. Despite the fact that Hugo was healed, Ruddiger was still surprisingly cautious with him. Hugo reached up to pet the raccoon before the woman addressed him.  
“Would that raccoon’s name happen to be Ruddiger?”  
“Yeah. How’d you know?”  
“He just looked familiar. Do you know Varian?”  
“Yeah, he’s asleep right now.” He pointed at the tent over the shoulder. “How do you know him?”  
“I’m… We knew each other in Corona. He went missing a few weeks ago, and I’ve been worried.” Just then, Varian shuffled out of the tent, still half asleep.  
“Hugo, who are you-“ He stopped when he realized the answer to his question.  
“Cass.”  
“Varian. Oh, thank god you’re safe. Eugene and I have been worried sick.” Varian scoffed, looking away from her.  
“Why? It’s not like you care about me.” Cass’ expression was unreadable in the dark, but her voice was laced with emotion when she spoke.  
“Of course I care about you. We’re friends… aren’t we?”  
“If we were friends, then why did you never try to help me? You left me when I needed you. That’s not what friends do.” Ruddiger jumped over to Varian, curling around his shoulders.  
“I didn’t have any choice. Fredrick wouldn’t let me leave the castle.”  
“What?”  
“Me, Eugene, and Rapunzel- we were all confined to castle grounds. The last time we saw you was the first time he let up leave in weeks.” Varian narrowed his eyes.  
“Why’d he let you leave for a fight? I thought he wanted to keep you safe.”  
“He wanted to keep Rapunzel safe. He wanted to send me to a convent. He couldn’t care less about Eugene.”  
“Then why’d he let Rapunzel leave? I kidnapped her mother.” Varian’s voice was laced with anxiety.  
“You did what?” Hugo looked at the younger man, who stared down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes.  
“I’ll tell you everything later,” he said.  
“Varian, I have no idea why Fredrick does what he does. I don’t think anyone knows.” Varian sighed, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes.  
“You could join us, if you wanted to. I’m sure Rapunzel would be thrilled to see you.”  
“After I tried to kill you and her mom? I doubt it.” He crossed his arms, practically folding in on himself. Ruddiger patted his cheek in an attempt to cheer him up.  
“She’ll forgive you. I know she will.” Varian shook his head.  
“Even if she does… I can’t come with you guys.” Cass nodded.  
“Well, I hope we run into each other again. I’m glad you’re safe.” Varian wiped a tear from his face as Cass slipped off into the night. He nodded towards the tent.  
“Come on,” He muttered. “I have a lot to tell you.”  
———  
“So, just to sum it all up, you encased your dad in amber, ran through a snowstorm to get help, was promptly thrown back into said snowstorm, worked for months to free him before finally reaching a breaking point, committed treason, and attempted to murder the queen?”  
“You forgot the drugging. And the lying. And the-“  
“I was summarizing. Those fall in the ‘committing treason’ category.” Varian set out a wet laugh and wiped more tears from his face. He had been crying most of the time he recalled his story. Hugo felt bad for not knowing how comfort him, but then again, he didn’t even know how to deal with his own feelings.  
“Hey, just know… I don’t think of you any differently.” Varian looked up, shocked, as Hugo took his hands. “I still think of you as my sarcastic, funny, dorky, kinda weird and completely adorable friend.” Varian sniffled, then laughed.  
“You think I’m cute?”  
“I mean… yeah.”  
“I think you’re cute,” Varian said with a lopsided grin. Hugo felt his heart jump, and returned the smile. He laced their fingers together.  
“You know I’m going to make fun of you for saying that I’m cute, right?”  
“Yeah, I do,” Hugo said with a laugh. “But you called me cute, too, so…”  
“Yeah, but you said it first.”  
“True. Hey… would you mind if we took a detour before we went back to the Iron Kingdom?”  
“How long of a detour?”  
“Oh, ya know. A couple months, maybe?” Varian laughed.  
“Why? Don’t you have someone to get back to?”  
“Yeah, but… I don’t know how she’ll react to me bringing you to her.”  
“Then don’t. I’ll find somewhere to stay, and you can find an excuse to leave again.”  
“Ok. Yeah, that’ll work. You just have to stay hidden.”  
———  
The next day, they entered the Iron Kingdom. Hugo turned into an alley a few blocks from Donella’s headquarters.  
“Stay here, don’t talk to anyone, and keep an eye on your bag, ok? Don’t let Ruddiger run off-“  
“Hugo, I’ll be fine. Go.” Hugo nodded. Varian squeezed his hand as he took a deep breath.  
“Ok. Bye.” Hugo tried pulling his hand from Varian’s, but the other boy used it to pull him closer before placing a kiss on his cheek.  
“Ok, now you can go.” Hugo nodded, pulling away. He could feel how red his face was, wishing that he could make the blushing stop.  
Cyrus was standing at the door to Donella’s headquarters, and nodded to him as Hugo walked inside. Hugo made his way down the hall and stopped at Donella’s office, taking a deep breath before knocking.  
“Come in.” Hugo opened the door and walked in. Donella stopped what she was doing and held her hand out. He took the necklace out of his bag and placed in in her hand. She inspected it for damage, speaking when she found none.  
“Your next assignment is in Koto,” She said, looking through a few papers on her desk. “Everything you need to know is on here.” She handed him an envelope, which Hugo placed in his bag. “You’ll leave by noon tomorrow.” Hugo nodded.  
“Got it, Don.”  
“Don’t call me that.” Hugo left the office and closed the door behind him, continuing down the hall to his room. All it contained was a bed and a desk. He was rarely there, so it made sense that he wouldn’t keep much there. He moved to his window and climbed out, running back to Varian.  
The boy smiled at him, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against.  
“Let’s go,” Hugo said. Varian nodded, taking his hand.  
They left the Iron Kingdom easily, as there was no specific exit and nobody guarding the outskirts of the kingdom. They were out within an hour, and Hugo finally felt like he could breathe again when they left.  
“Is that where you grew up?”  
“Yup. The ally you were in was actually one of my favorite places to spend the night.”  
“What?” Hugo turned to look at the other boy.  
“I was living on the streets until I was nine. Did I not tell you that?”  
“No. Just that you grew up there.”  
“Oh.”  
“So, where did you go? You were gone way shorter than I thought you would be.”  
“I was talking to the woman who took me in off the streets. She’s sending me to Koto.”  
“Why?”  
“I’m not sure yet.” They walked in silence for a while until Varian spoke.  
“Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?” Hugo sighed.  
“Because there is,” he responded quietly. Varian looked up at him, curious. “So, in the Iron Kingdom, you can’t really survive on the streets if you’re not a good theif. The woman who took me in, Donella, actually caught me stealing from her. That’s why she took me in. She let me stay with her as long as I would help her with jobs. So I did.”  
“What did you just give to her?”  
“A necklace.” Varian raised an eyebrow.  
“So, when you got stabbed, that wasn’t because of a fight, was it? You got it from a guard on your way out.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Wow. You’re a really bad thief.” Hugo made an offended noise, and Varian burst out laughing.  
“No, I’m not!”  
“Yes, you are! You got caught pickpocketing and then you got stabbed in the shoulder on one of your jobs.”  
“I can’t be that bad.”  
“Oh? Why’s that?”  
“I managed to steal your heart, didn’t I?” Varian started blushing.  
“I- Well, no cause- Ok, well- Would you quit laughing???” Hugo doubled over, clutching his stomach.  
“You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. Varian pulled his hand away and crossed his arms.  
“Don’t laugh at me,” He pouted. Hugo wrapped his arms around the other boy, who looked at him grumpily.  
“I’m sorry, Goggles. What can I do to make it up to you?”  
“Gimmie a kiss.” Hugo gasped over dramatically, placing a hand on his chest.  
“You don’t want our first kiss to be romantic?” Varian rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging on his lips.  
“That’s the only way you can make it up to me.”  
“Then I must put up with your saltiness until tonight.”  
“Tonight?”  
“At least let me try to make it romantic.”  
“Fine.”  
———  
That night, Hugo made him and Varian dinner, then they laid back and cuddled as they watched the stars. Hugo had his arm around Varian, who had his head resting on his shoulder and was holding Hugo’s other hand in both of his. Ruddiger was curled up by the fire, turned away from the two boys.  
“So, when am I going to get that kiss?”  
“Patience.” Varian looked up at him and sighed dramatically when Hugo didn’t react. He curled a little closer to the blonde, who placed a kiss to the top of his head. Varian tilted his head back with a whine, and Hugo laughed quietly before leaning in. Varian cupped his cheek, guiding him closer. Their lips interlocked for a moment before Hugo pulled away.  
“Was that worth the wait?” Hugo whispered. Varian nodded, already leaning in for another kiss. Hugo returned it with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took much longer than I thought it would to write. I'm really not used to writing long chapters.

After seven months and a few trips to the Iron Kingdom, rumors started going around about the kingdom of Corona. Hugo was meeting up with Donella when he first heard of them.  
“You want me to do what?”   
“Steal the Coronian princess’ crown.”  
“Why now? Isn’t Corona a mess?” Donella leaned closer to Hugo.  
“Yes, it is. That’s why this is the perfect time. The king and queen have had their memories erased and the princess has no idea how to rule properly. If you get this crown, we’ll be set for life.” Hugo nodded.  
“Got it. When do I leave?”  
“Tonight.”  
“Perfect.” Hugo left the room, heading to his room. He snuck out his window, as he had the last few times he had been there. He ran back to Varian and scooped him into a hug, which the other returned.   
“Are you alright?”   
“Yeah,” Hugo lied. “I’m fine.”   
———  
“So, do you remember how you tole me that you wanted to get as far away from Corona as possible?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Well, my next assignment is to steal the princess’ crown.”   
“Are you serious?”   
“Yeah.” Varian pulled away from Hugo and held his head in his hands.  
“I don’t have to do it. I mean, it would take Don a few months to realize that I’m not coming back, and even then, she’d probably think that I’m dead or in jail or something like that.”   
“No. No, we have to go back.” Hugo looked over at his boyfriend, confused.  
“Why?” Varian sighed, tilting his head back to look up at the sky.  
“I have to talk to Rapunzel,” He said in a hushed tone. “I have to find a way to free my dad.”   
“Are you sure about this?”  
“Yes.”  
———  
It took them a month to get to Corona, and Varian was a nervous wreck the whole time.   
“We don’t have to go,” Hugo whispered to him after a particularly bad nightmare.  
“Yes, we do. I have to help my dad.” Hugo had sighed, pulling him closer.   
“Alright. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”  
“Thank you.”   
When they got to Corona, then went in through the break in the wall. It had never been fully fixed, and they could climb over it easily. Varian let Hugo to his house, which was still torn up from the battle nearly a year prior. He tensed up as he opened the door, and Hugo gave his hand a squeeze, before bringing it up to his lips for a moment and placing a kiss to his knuckles. Varian gave him a weak smile, and Hugo pulled him a little closer.   
They entered Varian’s lab in silence. Varian seemed to stop breathing for a moment when he saw his father. Tears started falling down his face as Hugo stepped between him and the amber.   
“Hey, It’ll be ok. We’ll figure out how to get him out.” Varian shook his head, sobs wracking his body. Ruddiger curled around his shoulders as he started hugging himself.   
“I spent months wasting away in this lab, trying to get him out. Why would this time be any different?”  
“Because you have me. I can help you. I will go to the capital and drag Rapunzel back here by the hair if you want me to.” Varian shook his head, opening his arms for a hug. Hugo scooped him up and sat down, pulling the other man onto his lap. He rocked them back and forth as Varian cried into his shoulder. Hugo rubbed circles on his back, telling him quietly that everything would be ok.   
After a while, Varian stopped crying and curled up in Hugo’s lap. The blonde cupped his cheek, wiping the tears from his face. Varian put a hand over his and leaned into the touch.   
“Thank you.”  
“Of course.” Ruddiger crawled onto Varian’s lap, and Varian started petting him with his free hand.   
“We can go to the capital tomorrow. We’ll stay here tonight.” Hugo nodded. He pushed Varian’s hair out of the way and placed a kiss to his forehead.   
“Let’s go to bed.” Varian nodded and got up. He took the blonde by the hand and led him to his room.   
———  
Varian’s chest felt tight. Everywhere he looked, amber curled around black rocks as they shot towards him. He started running, hearing the echo of his father’s voice coming from the rocks.   
“Varian! Help me!” His father’s voice continued shouting, but it started being overlapped with the voices of Rapunzel, Eugene, Cassandra, and the villagers from Old Corona.  
“Why would you do this?”  
“Monster!”  
“Traitor!”  
“Varian, how could you!?”  
“This is all your fault!”  
“None of this would have happened if you listened to him!” All the voices blended back into one as he kept running. The voice was so loud that it shook the ground, causing him to trip and fall.  
“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?” His father’s voice boomed. “I WARNED YOU. I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE ROCKS! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” The ground underneath Varian fell away, and he fell into a dark pit as the rest of the voices came back, surrounding him, suffocating him.   
“Varian.”  
“Varian!”  
“Varian!”  
“VARIAN!” He awoke, shooting up and looking around frantically. Tears streamed down his face, and his breath was coming in short bursts, as his constricted lungs wouldn’t let him breathe properly.   
“Varian?” Hugo asked quietly. He turned to the blonde, opening his arms for a hug. Hugo pulled him onto his lap, rubbing circles into his back as Varian cried into his shoulder.   
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” He choked out between sobs. Ruddiger climbed into his lap and looked up at Varian, who started petting him.   
“It’s alright. Just breathe, ok? Deep breaths.”   
It took Varian a little longer than usual to stop crying. That didn’t surprise Hugo, as they were in the place that contained the source of Varian’s trauma.   
“Do you really think we’ll be able to free him?” Varian asked, already half asleep.   
“Of course I do.” Hugo laid down, pulling Varian with him. He curled up right next to Hugo and laid his head on his chest. The blonde wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer.   
———  
When Varian woke up in the morning, Hugo and Ruddiger were still asleep. He snuggled as close as he could to the blonde, wanting to feel more secure. Hugo rolled over, throwing his arm over Varian. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at the younger man.  
“Mornin’, Hairstripe.”  
“Good morning.” Hugo wrapped his arms around Varian and pulled him flush against his chest, tucking his head under his chin.  
“How’re you doing?” Varian shrugged.   
“As good as I can be,” He whispered. Hugo placed a kiss to the top of his head, and Varian melted into his touch.   
They cuddled for a bit longer, then got up. After getting dressed and eating, Varian led them to the capital. They had to go through a maze of rocks to get out of the village, and Hugo was amazed that nothing had been done about them.  
“I’m sorry, the king didn’t do anything?”   
“Nobody did. The day before my dad got trapped, we went to the capitol to talk to the king about them, but my dad lied. He said that our crops were thriving and requested more land, but the exact opposite was happening. It’s why I experimented on the rocks. It’s why my dad is… well. You saw him.” Varian’s voice quieted for the last sentence, and Hugo squeezed his hand.   
“I swear, the second I see him, I’m punching Fredrick as hard as I possibly can.” Varian barked out a laugh.  
“Yeah, good luck getting close enough to him for that. I’m not even sure if we’ll be able to get into the castle without the guards throwing me into jail.”  
“And there’s no way to get around them?”  
“Actually, there is one. We’ll still have to sneak through the city though. There’s a complex set of tunnels that go under Corona. I’ve been in them before, but never without a map, and they are pretty confusing.” Hugo hummed.  
“Well, how well do you know the layout of the castle?”  
“I’ve only been in it a few times. Why?”  
“If you know the layout well enough, then we won’t need a map. You can figure out the layout of the tunnels from the layout of the castle.”   
“Hugo, you genius!” Varian stopped and pulled a notebook and pen out of his bag. After drawing a map of the castle and surrounding city, he pointed to somewhere just outside of castle grounds.   
“This is where the tunnels entrance is. We’ll have to sneak through the city to get there, but once we get in-“ He pointed to somewhere inside the castle, close to the throne room. “This is where we need to go.” He beamed up at Hugo, and the blonde smiled back before pulling him into a hug.   
“Thank you, Hugo. For everything.”  
“You’re welcome. Now come on, this problem isn’t going to fix itself.”  
———  
They entered the tunnels just after noon. It had only taken a few hours for them to get to the city, and the surprising lack of people made it easy for them to get to the tunnels.   
Varian reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial, which produced light once he shook it. He took his notebook out of his bag, opening it to the page of the castle map.   
“Ok,” He said. “We should got his way.” He pointed to a tunnel on their right, which they followed.   
After a few wrong turns and a lot of backtracking, they stood inside of the castle, just outside of the throne room.  
“No guards. Weird,” Varian muttered. He pushed open the door, being greeted by Rapunzel, Eugene, and the king and queen. He froze as the princess turned around.   
“Varian. What are you doing here? Who’s that?” The raven-haired boy took a deep breath before responding.   
“I’m here to free my father and right my wrongs.”   
“You didn’t answer her second question,” Eugene commented.  
“This is Hugo.” The blonde squeezed his hand, and Varian looked up at him for a moment, the ghost of a smile on his face. “He’s my boyfriend.”   
“Wow. Ok,” Rapunzel said. “Where have you been this whole time? The guards searched Old Corona top to bottom for you.”   
“We’ve been traveling. I haven’t been remotely close to Old Corona in months. Besides yesterday and today, of course.”   
“When did you leave?”  
“I hid until the guards left and then packed my stuff and walked out the hole in the Corona Wall. I only had to wait a few hours.” Rapunzel burried her face in her hands.  
“I should’ve had you come with us. I should’ve helped you.” She paused for a moment before pulling her hands away and looking up at the young alchemist. “I can help you.”   
“What do you mean?”  
“While we were traveling, we found this incantation. I think it could melt the amber.”   
“Blondie, no. You know how dangerous that incantation is.”  
“But it’ll be fine if Varian can snap me out of it. Besides, if Quirin is somehow still alive… isn’t it worth it?” Eugene sighed.   
“Fine. Just don’t hurt anyone, ok?” Eugene cupped the princess’ cheek, and she leaned into the touch.  
“I won’t.”  
———  
Hugo and Varian spent the night in the castle, as they had decided to take Rapunzel to Old Corona in the morning. Once they got back to Varian’s home, she wound her hair around the statue, then handed Varian a bucket of water.  
“This incantation is dangerous, and I need you to snap me out of it the second your father is free, otherwise it could seriously hurt all of you.” Varian nodded and stepped back to where Hugo was standing by his desk. The blonde wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Varian leaned into the touch for a moment, but pulled away a little as Rapunzel started chanting.  
“Wither and decay, end this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free.” Her hair turned black, and her pupils grew until they consumed her eyes, making them feel like dark pits that could swallow you whole. She repeated the incantation, and the amber started to melt.  
“It’s working,” Varian said, pushing himself away from Hugo. “It’s working!” She repeated the incantation again, and Quirin was already halfway out of the amber. Varian sprinted over to Rapunzel and splashed the bucket of water onto her, but it evaporated before it could reach her skin.   
“Come on. Snap out of it!” Varian reached for her shoulders to shake her, but his gloves melted away, and he pulled his hands back. He looked over at Hugo as they both started to panic. The blonde pulled a scroll out of a barrel where they were being stored, and whacked Rapunzel with it. She fell forward, her hair and eyes returning to normal. Hugo looked down at the scroll in his hands, then back up at Varian. The raven-haired boy knelt down in front of the princess.  
“Are you ok?” He asked her. She nodded, and Varian looked up at Hugo, grinning, before turning and running to his father.  
“Dad! Dad, you’re alive!” The man caught his son and pulled him into his arms, hugging him tight.   
By the time Quirin looked up, Rapunzel had already snuck off. Hugo was still hovering nearby, unsure of what to do. Quirin smiled at him and reached out a hand, which the blonde took. He was pulled into the hug, smiling as he realized that he had never seen anyone as happy as Varian was that day.


End file.
